


Where Love Is The Case, The Doctor's An Ass.

by purpleandgreen



Series: Harvey and Jerusha [8]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-21 16:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30024726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpleandgreen/pseuds/purpleandgreen
Summary: Linus is still sick but manages to impart some wisdom to Doctor Harvey and he and Jerusha clear the air.
Relationships: Harvey & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Series: Harvey and Jerusha [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114730
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

That night, back in clinic, I sit up until late with Linus. He’s in a lot of pain and there’s not much I can do for him except be there with a sympathetic ear. I supply him with a cold compress from the clinic fridge and he accepts it gratefully. I dispense the usual drugs to him and hope that his pain will be manageable for the next few hours at least.

He dozes some of the time, helped by the fact that I gave him something to help him sleep through the worst of the pain, but most of the time he’s wakeful and uncomfortable and it’s hard to watch him struggle.

“Is there anything else I can do for you Linus?”

When I worked in a hospital, care was not a thing doctors did, that’s left to the nurses, but running a clinic in a small town like this, care is administered by me daily. I enjoy it, making someone comfortable, taking care of their needs, it feels like I’m taking responsibility for the entirety of a patient’s wellbeing until they recover. 

His face is screwed up with pain. “Yeah, you can distract me doc, tell me what you did today.”

Oh. Okay. It’s not exactly what I had in mind. I make up a short speech about a generic day I might have had. 

Linus is not satisfied however, “Yeah, yeah Doc. Now tell me what you really did.”

Yoba. “Alright, you asked for it.”

I tell him about the day I’ve had. Tactfully leaving out some small details. It’s good to talk to someone about this and Linus listens appreciatively in silence and doesn’t speak until I get to the end.

“As an old, old man,” His eyes twinkle at me and I know he’s referring to my earlier comment about his age, “Can I give you some advice Harvey?”

That’s the first time he’s ever used my first name. I take off my glasses and pinch my nose. Today’s been extremely taxing, and I want nothing more than to crawl into bed. “If you must.” I smile at him.

“Sounds like you’re scared. Never ever seen you with a woman the whole time I’ve been here and now there’s a chance of happiness for you, you’re backpedalling with all your might. Terrified of something you should be grabbing with both hands. Don't know what yoyu're waiting for. She's a fine woman."

Ouch. 

Linus, by his own admission knows nothing about me, yet he’s put his finger on exactly the problem I’ve been wrestling with all day.

I’m scared. 

I know why too. I’m waiting for disaster to happen. I feel like my life has been a series of lurching from one disaster to another, with little stability. Life has taught me not to get too happy, or too comfortable because before I know it, everything falls apart.

I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We took a big, big step in that balloon. I’m not sure if anyone will ever understand what it meant to me to be able to share intimacy with someone again. But I’m not miraculously ‘fixed’ by it. I’m terrified that if I commit to Jerusha any further, something terrible will happen. Shane’s blunder earlier and then Gray’s unexpected appearance convinced my lizard brain that it was only a matter of time before things went wrong and my first reaction had been to lash out. In a very understated way but still, I walked out, leaving the pendant on the kitchen counter. Yoba, why did I do that?

Because you self-sabotage. Ruin it all before it gets ruined. Can’t have a broken heart if you don’t have a relationship. Can’t be hurt if you destroy it all first yourself. 

I realise I haven’t answered Linus, but when I look at him, he’s fallen asleep. I’m glad he’s comfortable enough to relax, and I’m even more glad of the opportunity to go to bed. 

When in bed I draft a message to Jerusha:

*I’m sorry, I over reacted. I’m so in love with you, I’m scared of everything going wrong.  
Allow me to buy you lunch at Gus’s tomorrow?  
Love,  
H  
Xx*

It’s a while before she answers, and I’m spiralling into anxiety in which I imagine her and Gray laughing over the jewellery box in her kitchen, when my phone finally vibrates.

*Hey, I wish you’d let me explain. Yeah, you were a bit of an idiot but you’re MY idiot. I’ll be at clinic tomorrow at 1pm we can walk to the saloon together.  
I love you.  
Jerusha  
Xx*

I sigh with relief. She doesn’t hate me. I can make this right. 

If I can keep my anxiety, my fear and my jealousy in check.

**~~**~~**  
The next day, Linus appears brighter and more comfortable than he did the day before. I make him some breakfast, take his obs, give him his meds, and retreat to the office to complete some of my seemingly never-ending paperwork. I pick up Linus’s lunch at 12 and am happy with the fact that there’s obviously nothing wrong with his appetite and he’s feeling much brighter as he complains about the lack of salt.

“It’s not good for your blood pressure Linus.” I admonish and leave him to finish his meal chuckling as I hear him mutter about where he'd like to shove my stethoscope. "I heard that!"

I lose track of time, so when I hear the clinic door open and there’s a knock at the office. “Come in!” I assume it’s a patient. 

“Hey honey.” Jerusha pops her head round the door, “Ready to go get lunch?.”

I eye my watch. It’s ten past one.

“Sorry,” I jump up out of the chair, “Yes, I’m ready to go.”

“Before we go. Can we talk?” She perches on the examination table.

“Yeah, of course.” I gulp nervously.

Jerusha takes the small jewellery box I left at the farm the day before from the pocket of her farmer’s dungarees. “I can’t accept this.” She places the box on the desk.

“Okay. I should never…”

She interrupts me, “What the fuck kind of proposal did you think that was Harvey? What am I going to tell our kids when they ask for the story of our romantic declaration of marriage? ‘Your father practically threw the pendant at me in a fit of temper?’ Not acceptable.” She folds her arms, “I’m going to do you a favour Doctor Brennan, I’ll forget yesterday’s debacle ever happened, but you had better come up with a decent proposal for us as an apology.”

I shamefacedly put the box into the top drawer of my desk.

_Kids?_

“Sorry, I meant to propose in the balloon, but other things happened instead.” I give her a small smile. “Wait though.” I turn to her, “I need to sort out a few things too. Firstly, why was Gray at the farm yesterday? Did he stay over?” Oh Yoba, that came out a lot more harshly than I meant it to.

“Don’t take that tone with me doctor. You know that I would never compromise what we have and if you don’t, you’d better change your mind on that double quick. No, he came over to tell me he’s getting married. He wanted to do it in person in case I was upset about it.” 

“And… are you?” my voice is hesitant, I’m not sure I want to know the answer.

She laughs, her beautiful face creasing in playful amusement, “I could not be happier! I’m so pleased for him. It’s everything he ever wanted, a dull corporate marriage, with a corporate woman. He’s going to have the life he always dreamed of. Anyway, we’re invited.”

I frown, “That’s a bit weird. I’m not sure I want to go to your ex’s wedding to a person I’ve never met, in a room full of strangers.”

Jerusha laughs again, “Oh, we’re not going honey! I told him last night. He was just doing it for a bit of one-upmanship. I think he thought I would be hysterical with grief, That I’d throw myself at him begging to come back to me. He was a bit put out when I didn’t. I’m completely delighted. I always felt a bit guilty for leaving him in the lurch the way I did, but now I see that it was the best thing for both of us. It led me to you.”

She kisses me, but I take her shoulders and move her away slightly, “Not so fast Ms Howard. There’s still the matter of the pendant and Shane.”

“Oh! Yes! Okay, well, I’m starving, I’ll tell you on the way to the Saloon.”

I grab my coat and we head out. 

By the time we get to the saloon, everything feels better. Jerusha explained about the pendant and I wished that I had let her speak yesterday instead of leaving. 

I order lunch and drinks for us both and pay Gus. Pepper poppers and salad for Jerusha with a salad for me and one of Gus’s special blend coffees. 

“So, we got another invite this morning.” Jerusha casually puts her hand on my knee, it’s a small gesture of affection but I shiver slightly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m better than alright.” I smile placing my hand over hers, “Still getting used to all this. What’s the invite?”

“My mum’s birthday. It’s in a couple of weeks. Family get-together. They’ve asked to meet you. We could have that weekend we spoke about?” She strokes a coffee droplet off my moustache with her thumb and puts it in her mouth, but I’m too distracted to react.

Anxiety spikes again. I don’t so well with families, never having had one of my own. It sounds awful.

I only pick the salad and let Jerusha finish the rest, I have to get back to work. I stand up, “You’re going already?” Jerusha looks disappointed.

“Yeah, got to go back to Linus. I think he can probably go home tonight if he wants to. By the way, he told me about you offering to build him a house. That was very sweet of you.” I kiss her and she reciprocates and for a moment I forget where we are, slipping my arm around her waist to pull her closer.

“Hey, you two, take your canoodling out of my bar.” Gus interjects good-humouredly, “Don’t forget the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies tomorrow night. Perfect place for that nonsense.”

I blush and Jerusha laughs heartily, “We’ll save it up for then, eh Harvey?” She nudges me and I blush deeper. I turn to her again, “I’ve got to go. I’m glad everything is sorted for us.” I whisper.

“Not everything Harvey, remember?”

Oh yeah. The proposal. Yoba, what AM I going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey has a plan, but time is running short.

That night, I find I can’t sleep. It’s nothing unusual. Sleep seems to elude me a lot lately. The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies is of course a perfect venue and place for a romantic proposal, but after the failure of my first non-attempt, this had to be a real showstopper and I understand myself well enough to know that large and dramatic gestures are not something I excel at.

Wish I’d proposed in that damn hot-air balloon.

At two am I wake again. Feeling around for my glasses and clicking on the light I lay on my back for a while staring at the ceiling. Yes. I think I’ve got it. 

The more I think about it, the more it feels perfect. It’s going to take a LOT of setting up and I have about 15 hours to do it. 

I can’t lay in bed any longer, this kernel of an idea buzzing so loudly in my head, I can’t go back to sleep. I put on a pot of coffee and sit at my modelling table with a notepad, writing down the plan as it formulates in my head. Scribbling furiously, I’m getting more and more excited about this idea. It’s not dramatic and it won’t draw a crowd but I hoped it would be memorable and make a good story for our…

Well, for the future.

Finally, I sit back in the chair, satisfied that the plan will work. I’m going to have to call in a lot of favours, all at once, but I think I can do it.

I take my glasses off, rub my face and check my watch. Four am. Too early to start enacting the plan, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep again. I pour another coffee and pace around for a while sipping at the hot beverage. 

Nerves start to kick in, and I sit back down looking over my notes. I can gather some of the stuff I need right here in the apartment. Something practical to do might calm me down. 

When Jerusha and I had gone to the Flower Dance, Maru’s mum Robin had put together a corsage for me to give to Jerusha. I had snatched it up from the clinic when I’d dealt with an emergency that day and stuffed it in my suit pocket. In amongst everything that happened that day, I had completely forgotten to give the flowers to her and only recently rediscovered them when I was deciding what to wear for our balloon trip. A perfectly dried little bunch of mountain flowers, their colours muted, but still pretty. I took it out of my bedside drawer and laid it on the table. 

I retrieve my wallet and take out a few items I’d been holding as keepsakes. The advert from the Stardew Reporter for Marcello’s Balloons and the wine list from Chez Adèline, that I’d accidentally walked away with on the evening of our first date there. I also had kept the receipt from the meal we had just after Jerusha had initiated our relationship by presenting me with a bouquet.

That’s four, by my reckoning I needed one more. It’s still early but the sun is rising, streams of light coming through the blinds. I shower and dress hoping to grab some breakfast at the saloon before I start on my errands for the day. 

“You’re early Doc.” Gus is polishing glasses, holding them up to the light before putting them away, when I cautiously push the door of the saloon open. “Something I can do for you?”

“Yeah, sorry, couldn’t sleep. Any chance of a breakfast order?”

“For you doc? Sure. What can I get you?”

I order an omelette and another coffee. I was going to need all the help I could get today. I’ve brought my notebook with me and I frown over it while I’m eating. Staring at nothing in particular, I click the end of the biro endlessly while I think, until Gus leans over the bar and removes it from my hand. 

“That’s enough Doc. Whatever you’re tying yourself in knots over, it’s not worth irritating your local bartender over. Besides, I can’t go to jail for killing a man again.” He smiles at his own joke.

“No judge in the land would convict you Gus.” I quip, “Sorry. Got some things on my mind.”

“Matters of the heart Doc?”

“Y- Yeah.”

“Hope there’s nothing wrong?”

“Oh Yoba, no!” I shake my head laughing, “Everything is fine. In fact, it’s perfect. A promise I have to keep. That’s all.”

“Well, if there’s anything the Saloon can help with Doc, you be sure to let me know.”

“Thanks Gus.” I say gratefully. He really is the kindest man in the Valley, willing to help anyone out. I know he feeds Linus regularly to make sure the older man gets a decent hot meal once in a while. He cooks for the whole town at many of the festivals and does it all without any form of thanks from Mayor Lewis, too wrapped up in his own self-importance to recognise anyone else’s efforts. 

“Actually Gus, there may be something. If, theoretically of course, if there was a wedding in the valley, is that something you could cater at?”

“If Doc? He cocks an eyebrow quizzically. I look at him steadily, “If.”

He laughs. “IF it ever happened, then catering it would make me the proudest barkeep this side of the Gem Sea.”

“Great.” I mentally tick off one of the items in my head. “Well, I’d better head off. Busy day. Thanks for breakfast Gus.”

“No worries doc. Best of luck!” He calls as I walk out of the door.

“Thanks!” I wave a goodbye. 

My first stop is Leah’s place. I knock on her door and wait nervously for her to answer. Thankfully she’s at home and she beckons me in, a paint-encrusted palette in her hand and a paintbrush in her mouth. “Come in Doc!” She exclaims through gritted teeth. “Have a seat!” She waves to the couch which it littered with art supplies, paper and pens. I perch precariously on the arm of the sofa and clear my throat, unsure of where to start. “I, um need a favour please Leah.”

“Sure doc, anything!”

I’ve got a commission for you, if you want it. I need you to draw this for me.”

I hand her a badly scribbled piece of notepaper. Art really was NOT my strongpoint. *Hope you can see what is"

“You want me to make this better?” She examines the drawing, “I can get that done for you in a couple of days, no problem.” 

“Yeh, um, here’s the thing. I need it for tonight. I’ll pay you!” I add hastily when I see the panicked look in her eye.

“Tonight? Oh Yoba. Okay, I’ll get started on it right away. Want me to bring it to the Festival tonight?”

“I-I need it before then. I know it’s a lot to ask Leah, but there’s a really good reason for it. Please?”

She looks at me and sighs, “Alright doc, but only because it’s you. I’ll drop it off at the clinic at 5 pm?”

“Drop it at the farm. That’s where I’ll be. You’re amazing Leah, thank you.”

She doesn’t answer, she’s already pulling out sheaves of paper from her desk, muttering to herself. 

I walk north to the farmhouse and drop a note through Jerusha's door telling her that I'll bring dinner before the festival tonight. I think it might be fun to try out the present that Maru and her family gave to me. 

I look at my watch 8.45. I’ve probably got around 8 hours before I need to be ready. Is it going to be enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey makes preparations but is he running out of time?

I stop in at Pierre’s for the next part of the plan. Pierre doesn’t just sell food, though I always wince seeing the hugely inflated prices of the fresh produce on the shelves, knowing how hard Jerusha works to produce them, and how much profit Pierre is making from her toil. Today, I linger in the stationery department, such as it is. I had seen the things I was looking for a few days previously so knew that he had them in stock. Small gift boxes and some envelopes and a large photograph album with a tasteful silver swirl design on a black cover. I carry them in my arms to the till. 

“Getting an early start on Winter Star preparations Doc? Wise. The price of all this stuff will go up in Winter.”

I didn’t doubt it. Pierre never missed a trick when it came to gouging his customers. The only other shop for miles around is Joja Mart and many of us simply refuse to shop there as their prices are even more inflated than Pierre’s and their environmental record is shocking.

Instead of saying anything I just smile and hand over the gold. 

Next stop is Evelyn’s and George’s house where they live with their grandson Alex, who is absent-mindedly tossing a gridball from hand to hand, leaning on the tree outside his house. 

“Hey Doc. Go long!” 

He does this to me every time I pass. It’s become a regular joke to him. He thinks my ignorance of Ferngill Republic’s most popular game is hilarious. 

“Hey Alex. One day I’ll explain the rules of cricket to you.” I threaten with a smile, “Is your grandmother in?”

“Yeah doc, she’s in the kitchen. Go straight in.”

I knock and enter their home. I haven’t been inside their house since I was sick. Usually, Evelyn invites me for dinner a couple of times a season, but I’ve hardly seen her or George since spring. 

She turns at the sound of the door, she’s in the middle of baking. Her hands covered in flour.

“Hello stranger! What brings you here?” She wipes her hands on her apron and proffers one to me. 

“Hi Evelyn.”

“Thought you’d forgotten all about us since you started going steady with our lovely new farmer!”

“Never.” 

“I’m kidding Doctor Harvey, we’re all delighted for you both, you’re a lovely couple.”

“Actually Evelyn, that’s what I’ve come to talk to you about.”

“Do you have time for a coffee? There’s a pot brewing.”

“Sorry Evelyn, I’ve got a lot to do today.”

She sighs, “That’s a shame, it would have been nice to catch up.”

I feel a twinge of guilt, “Well, only if you are offering a cookie alongside.” I wink at her and she laughs, getting cups from the cupboard and pouring two coffees. 

She opens a cake tin and puts out some cookies on a plate. “Here you go Doc, these are fresh this morning. Yes, there’s one for you George.”

Her husband wheels into the kitchen, “Do I smell coffee?”

Evelyn hands him her cup without hesitation and pours herself another cup. George joins us at the table. 

“How’re you feeling doc? We thought we’d lost you for a while there.” George asks after slurping his coffee noisily. 

“I’m much better, thanks.”

“George, don’t harass him.” Evelyn scolds as George opens his mouth to ask another question.

“I was just asking him how he was. I wasn’t harassing you was I doc?”

I grin, “Don’t try and drag me into this George.” 

"I'm sure farmer Jerusha looked after him very well George. He's looking much better now. To tell you the truth doctor, you're looking better than we've seen you in years." Evelyn continues, "I remember when you came to this town, you didn't speak to anyone unless it was for medical matters, and you never looked anyone in the eye, walking around with your head down and your shoulders slumped."

"Yeah, you were even more miserable than me. Cheered me up considerably." George grins.

"Glad I could be of some small service here." I look away feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

"Hush, George." Evelyn pats his hand. 

"I hadn't finished." He scowls. "Since the farmer moved here, you're definitely looking a lot perkier doc. It's good to see. I mean who can blame you? She's certainly easy on the eye. If I were twenty years younger..."

"George, if you were twenty years younger you're be fifty and still way too old for Jerusha. I'm sorry doctor, he's getting inappropriate in his old age."

"Well, as much as I've enjoyed your little pep talk George, I really do have to go." I start to slide out of the chair but Evelyn stops me with a hand on my arm.

“I'm really sorry doctor, if we made you uncomfortable." She glances at George, "Was there something you wanted to ask me?” 

Evelyn has the most beautiful handwriting in the town. Its no good me trying to do the thing I’m asking of her, half the time I can’t read my own scrawl back often relying on Maru to translate my own writing for me. Evelyn’s copperplate writing is perfect for what I have in mind. 

“Leave it with me Doctor.” She looks thoughtful as I explain, “I’ll get my calligraphy stuff out. It’ll be done in an hour.”

“Evelyn, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t need to Harvey. It’s a pleasure. You haven’t told me what this is all about though.”

“You’ll know everything later.”

“Ooh, a mystery! I love it!”

I stay for a short while and chat, but eventually I take my leave of them both. Evelyn promises to drop the photograph album back into the clinic before I leave for the farm this evening. 

I put my head round the door of clinic, “Hey Maru, any last-minute appointments come in today?”

Maru double checks the computer in front of her, “No, you’re all clear doc. If you’re busy, I can call you if anything happens. What are you up to? You look guilty.”

“Guilty?”

“Yeah, you look all hot and bothered. If you’ve committed a crime, I can offer you Sebastian’s basement to hide out from the law, if you can stand the nicotine smell.”

“I’m fine. Just um… busy.” 

“Okay, don’t tell me. See if I care.”

“Good! Well, that’s sorted!” I smile at her. “See you later!” I give her a cheery wave, laughing at her snort of frustration.

“Oh doc!” She calls me back to the desk, “I almost forgot, there’s a parcel for you.”

She lifts a large parcel and plonks it on the counter. “Are you expecting anything?”

“No. Hmm.”

I open the parcel using Maru’s letter opener. There is a note on the top. 

_Dear Doctor Brennan,  
Thanks for the regards you sent me on my birthday. It’s great that you remembered.  
You sent these to be destroyed a while ago.  
It seemed a shame as they’re an expensive piece of kit and they weren’t too badly contaminated. I cleaned and fumigated them. You might want to return them to the patient.  
Regards,  
Jaswinder Singh  
Limetree Incinerator Works  
PS: this is highly irregular, I trust that you won’t mention it to anyone. ___

__I take out some of the cardboard that is covering the mystery contents and see something that seems to have dropped out the sky as a gift from Providence herself._ _

__It’s Jerusha’s work boots. The ones I took off her the night of her accident in the mines back in early spring, when I nearly lost her. They’re clean and stuffed with newspaper. It’s perfect and incredibly the last piece of the puzzle I’d been missing._ _

__“Did you send birthday wishes to Jaswinder Singh from us at the clinic?”_ _

__Maru looks up from her work, “Yeah, as always.”_ _

__“Maru, I could kiss you! I always knew there was a reason I hired you.”_ _

__“Don’t you dare come near me with that moustache doctor.” Maru jokingly warns, “Save it for Jerusha.”_ _

__“When she gets these back, she’ll want to kiss you herself!”_ _

__I can’t believe how neatly things are lining up for me today. If I were a superstitious man, I’d say that it was auspicious, but I’m a realist so I refrain from getting too excited about it._ _

__I put the boots back in the box and tuck them under my arm, gathering up my shopping from Pierre’s. “I’ll be upstairs if anyone needs me. Feel free to make an early dart if you need to get home to change for the festival tonight.”_ _

__“Okay Doc. Have fun.”_ _

__Back in my apartment I place the parcel on the table along with the other items I’d collected there earlier._ _

__I set out the envelopes, one for each item and grab some notepaper and a pen from the drawer._ _

__I sit down to write in my messy scribble._ _

__When I’m on my own, or in the shower, or listening to music, I can think of a thousand things I want to say to Jerusha but the moment I sit down to commit those thoughts to paper, they disappear completely. It takes me a long time to finish this part of the task._ _

__It’s ten to three when I finally throw the pen down and sit back in the chair. No-one will accuse me of rivalling Elliott for turn of phrase, but I hope what I’ve written is heartfelt._ _

__I put all the items in their boxes and wrap them in brown paper, I grab that fated bottle of champagne from my fridge and add it to the collection. I pack it all carefully in a bag and put the champagne with a couple of plastic glasses in my messenger bag for the second time in a week._ _

__Oh Yoba, the pendant._ _

__I pick that up out of my office drawer and add it to the bag. I shower and change into fresh clothes._ _

__I should be leaving now, but I’m so nervous about leaving something behind that I unpack everything and repack it. Making another list as I put everything back into the bag. Finally, I allow myself to leave the clinic and almost crash into Evelyn holding a parcel in her hands._ _

__“Oh, doctor!” She gasps._ _

__“I’m so sorry Evelyn! Are you alright?”_ _

__“Yes, yes Doctor, I’m fine. I’m just dropping off that project you gave to me.”_ _

__I take the album from her hands and flick through, admiring her beautiful pen work. “It’s perfect Evelyn, you’re wonderful.”_ _

__I give her a peck on the cheek and she blushes. “No problem Harvey. If this is about what I think it’s about then I wish you the best of luck and all the happiness in the world.”_ _

__“Thank you Evelyn. I’ll see you at the Festival later?”_ _

__“Of course. I hope Lewis has remembered to lay out some boards for George’s wheelchair.”_ _

__“I’m on my way there now. I’ll remind him. I’ve got to run, thank you again Evelyn!”_ _

__**~~**~~**_ _

__I cross the bridge and am met on the sandy path to the beach by Lewis. He holds his hand up imperiously. “Sorry Doctor, I can’t let you through, the festival is being set up.” He sniffs._ _

__Behind him I can see Robin, our local carpenter, adding the final touches to the lantern boat that will be launched tonight to lure the migrating jellyfish to the docks. I hold up a hand in greeting and she waves her hammer at me._ _

__“Lewis, I’ve got something really important to do this evening. I’ll be half an hour at most.”_ _

__“No exceptions doc. If I let you in, everyone will want to come down here. Before you know it the place will be over-run and we know how particular Rasmodius is about his festival preparations. He gestures with his hand and I start when I realsie that Rasmodius is helping out, draping strings of lights in the trees on teh strand. "No, the only reason I could let you through is if there is some kind of medical emergency.” Lewis continues preremptorily._ _

__Robin glances at me quickly with an expression on her face I can’t quite read and suddenly lets out a blood curdling yell, that makes Lewis jump and turn to her, his brows knitting in frustration._ _

__“FOR THE LOVE OF YOBA!”_ _

__“What happened Robin?” Lewis looks suspicious._ _

__“I hit my thumb with the hammer! Yoba, I think it’s broken!” She groans in pain._ _

__Lewis turns back to me rolling his eyes, “Guess that’s your cue Doc.” He steps aside to let me through._ _

__I hide a smile and go to ‘tend’ Robin. “You faker.”_ _

__“Hey doc! How dare you. I’m very, very injured. I might faint with the pain.”_ _

__“I think you’ll live.” I smile. “Thanks Robin.”_ _

__“Oh no doc. You don’t get away with it that easy! You owe me. What are you up to?”_ _

__“Secret.”_ _

__“Does it concern a certain local farmer?”_ _

__“It might well do.”_ _

__“Ooh!” She squeals, “Are you going to propose?”_ _

__I could be annoyed at this lucky guess if it weren’t Robin. “Maybe,” I hiss, “But keep it to yourself. It’s not going to be a public thing. So please Robin?" I plead._ _

__“Ohhhh.” She taps the side of her nose conspiratorially, “Gotcha. Your secret is safe with me doc.”_ _

__“Thank you.”_ _

__I check around for Lewis who is almost a speck at the far end of the beach making shooing gestures at the seagulls as if they needed a permit to be there. I grab my chance, “Lewis!” I wave my arms at him._ _

__“Yes doc?”_ _

__Evelyn told me to remind you to put out the duck boards for George’s wheel chair!”_ _

__Lewis looks stricken for a moment. I hear an expletive and suppress a laugh as he rushes past Robin and I to get the boards from his garage, turning the air blue as he goes._ _

__It takes almost an hour to set everything up the way I’d imagined. I hope I hadn’t forgotten anything. It needed to be perfect for Jerusha._ _

__I stride towards Barrowbank Farm._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> 18/03/21  
> I've slightly edited this to include a small interaction between Harvey and the Mullners about Harvey's demeanour when he first came to the valley.
> 
> Comments and kudos are hugely appreciated. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to let me know they're enjoying this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey joins Jerusha at the farm for dinner.

Bear is dozing on the porch in the warm evening air when I arrive at Jerusha’s farm. He lifts his head when he hears my footsteps but doesn’t get up. His tail thumps on the wooden boards and he accepts an ear scritch as I bend down to undo my shoelaces. 

Jerusha opens the door and peers out. When she spots me she smiles affectionately, “Hey handsome, I thought I heard something! YOU.” She points an accusatory finger at Bear, “Are a terrible guard dog. You’re fired.”

Bear yawns lazily, whining as he snaps his jaws shut. He stretches out in the last of the day’s sunlight lifting his paws for a belly rub. She relents, “Aw, okay, you’re reinstated.” She rubs his belly and the tail thumps become more rapid.

“Hey,” I take her in my arms as she gets up, “How are you? I missed you today.” I kiss her. It feels like weeks since I last had physical contact with her but it was just yesterday.

“I have had a highly successful day. More than successful to tell you the truth. It’s been a ground-breaking day, but I’ll show you why later. Or maybe tomorrow. You said you were bringing dinner with you, what did you bring?”

I laugh. She’s always hungry. She burns so many calories in her never-ending work on the farm, her pockets are always full of field snacks in case she gets peckish during the day. 

“I thought you could help me cook a meal? Maru’s family gave me one of those Queen of Sauce cooking kits. Thought we could do it together. It’s a super meal for two. Does that sound good?”

“Get in here.” She pulls the lapel of my jacket, “I’m ravenous.” I follow her into the farm. 

When we get to the kitchen, we wash our hands and Jerusha peers into the parcel I brought. “This looks great honey.”

Cooking with Jerusha is fun. It’s a joke with people who know me well that I am a rotten cook. Most of the time I don’t even try, relying on Gus’s food, or microwaving convenience food if I’m too tired to go to the Saloon. 

Jerusha is very patient with me and laughs when I am completely defeated by the artichokes she asks me to prepare. I spend a good 5 minutes trying to surreptitiously look at my phone, trying firstly to find out what the hell an artichoke is and secondly what in Yoba’s name to do with them once identified. 

She watches me suffer for a couple of minutes, her shoulders shaking in mirth when I put the knife down, defeated.

“Honey, have you never eaten artichoke before? I grow hundreds of them here. You’ll like them, they’re delicious! Hang on," She narrows her eyes, "I gave you a loadof these last year as a gift. Don't tell me you didn't eat them?" 

I blush. I remember that day, she came to clinic not with the usual coffee but with a whole bag of artichokes, which I had accepted, as I accepted everything she brought me, before we started dating, with effusive thanks. I had no idea what to do with them. Those bloody artichokes had sat in my fridge for weeks until they turned to mush and I threw them out.

Without waiting for an answer, she takes the knife from me and deftly cuts the stalk off the vegetable. “That’s all you need to do and cut off any of the leaves that are brown or damaged. I’ll steam them, so they can go in that pot there.” She gestures to a bamboo steamer on top of a pan of boiling water. “They take the longest to cook so they can go on now.”

I finish up the rest for her. I pick up the chopping board and squeeze past her to the pan tipping the artichokes into the steamer. Jerusha turns around and hands me a sheaf of bok choi, “And these can go in that pan over there.” 

I tip the leaves into the waiting wok and read the next instructions in the recipe. I grab the cranberries and put them in a sieve ready to be washed. Jerusha takes them from the tabletop and runs them under the tap. 

It’s almost like a dance, our movements round the enclosed space, negotiating each others actions. We work in tandem and the meal is prepared in no time. While we wait for it to cook, I wash up while Jerusha goes into the cellar for some wine.

“It’s ordinary grape wine, but it’s a nice light white. I think you’ll like it.” She explains when she returns. “I’m working on some other wines at the moment, but they won’t be ready for some time.” She pours us both a glass watching me as I taste it. 

“I need an honest opinion Harvey, if it’s bad, you have to tell me.”

I let the wine sit in my mouth for a moment, savouring its flavours befroe swallowng. “It’s delicious. Well done. I don’t think you’ve made a duff product yet. It’s really good.”

She sighs in relief. “Phew! I’m so glad. I’m hoping it’ll be a real money maker for the farm. There’s so much still to do here.”

The timer on the oven beeps. “Finally!” Jerusha groans. “You sit on the sofa, handsome, I’ll dish up and bring some over.”

We settle on the sofa, “Oh wow.” Jerusha closes her eyes and chews slowly. “This is great!” 

“It is.” I’m surprised by how easy it all was. I will definitely speak to Gus about giving me some culinary lessons. 

“So, you never learned to cook huh?”

“No, not really.”

“Didn’t your aunt Amy teach you?”

I laugh, the idea of Amy cooking is _absurd _. “How do you think I learned to use a microwave? Amy had the cleanest cooker in all our street. She never cooked. Hated it. We lived on take-aways and convenience food. She was brilliant, but cooking was NOT her strong point. She always said that life was too short to spend time in the kitchen.”__

__“She sounds amazing. Wish she’d taught you to cook though. You could have been taking a lot better care of yourself all these years.”_ _

__“Jerusha, honey, I’m 35 next birthday. I should have taken responsibility for it years ago. I just never bothered. You can’t blame Amy for my laziness.”_ _

__“You don’t really talk about her much. Is she still around?”_ _

__I squirm a little, “We, we lost touch. A lot of people dropped contact with me after, well, afterwards and I was too caught up in my own head to bother. I can’t really blame them. I wasn’t in a position to fight for any of those relationships, so I lost them.”_ _

__“So, you don’t know if she’s still alive even?”_ _

__“Yeah, that’s right. The last phone call we shared was when I told her that I’d broken up with Megan. The two of them got on like a house on fire and Amy was really upset when I ended it. She blamed my decisions for what happened. I’m not sure if she ever really forgave me. We lost touch after that. I think she moved to a new house, but I’m not sure” The food doesn’t seem as appetising anymore. I set down my plate and take a deep draught of the wine._ _

__“Hey.” Jerusha rests her hand on my knee._ _

__“I’m fine.” I don’t brush her off exactly, but I don’t want to continue this conversation any further._ _

__“It’s okay for you to miss her Harvey. She brought you up.”_ _

__There is a knock at the door. I’m almost relieved. Jerusha gets up to answer it, and after a few moments she returns, looking confused, “Weird. That was Leah, looking for you. She left you this. Says she’ll bill you next week?”_ _

__“Oh, I know what that is.” I take the square envelope from Jerusha._ _

__“Aaaaand? What is it?”_ _

__“None of your business.” I kiss her forehead and tuck the art in my messenger bag._ _

__“Fine.” She sighs melodramatically. “I’ve got to go get the animals in. Coming?” She holds out her hand to mine._ _

__“Okay, but we need to be quick. We have to get to the Festival.”_ _

__Relax Harvey, it doesn’t start until ten.”_ _

__“Yeah, but there’s some things I want to do first.”_ _

__“What? Ohhhhhh.” She winks at me seductively._ _

__“No. NO. Not that.” I laugh, “Come on. Let’s go get those animals in.” I take her hand, “But keep that other option open for later.”_ _

__I rush through the chore of getting Jerusha’s flock in for the night, whilst she closes the other coop and the barn. I want to check Leah’s artwork. I shout to Jerusha that I’ll see her back at the house and open the cardboard envelope that Leah has put the drawing into. It’s perfect. She’s done beautifully. On the back is a scene of the night sky with a quote from my favourite childhood book, ‘The Little Prince’. "If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers"._ _

__I roll it up and place it carefully in the bag. Just in time as Jerusha re-enters the farmhouse, “All done!”_ _

__With all the animals safely bedded down for the night, and Bear snoozing in front of the dying embers of the living room fire, we’re ready to go. I put on my jacket and sling the rather laden bag over my shoulder. Jerusha shuts the door and places her hand in mine and we stroll down to the beach, my heart pounding faster with every step._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this is increasingly misleading!   
> I think our Harvey is doing pretty well so far.
> 
> I'm sure everything else will go without a hitch...   
> Thanks for reading my utter nonsense. x  
> More nonsense soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> The title is from Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, it suited Harvey so well I had to use it. :)  
> This is the longest fic I've ever written and there's still a lot more to come.  
> I'm not sure why I made Linus talk like a 1950s cowboy, but here we are.  
> I'll post more soon.


End file.
